On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese pilot Takeshi Maeda approached Pearl Harbor on a torpedo run with a specific target in mind: the USS West Virginia. When the attack began, Takeshi successfully hit the West Virgina with his torpedo, watching the plume of water rising into air. As the planes circled the destruction they had created, the West Virginia had sunk to the bottom of the harbor after several torpedo hits. Takeshi's mission was accomplished...or so he thought.

On an island full of sacred historical reminders, perhaps none are more iconic than the USS Arizona Memorial. Visitors from around the world come to pay their respects to the 1,177 men who went down with their ship that fateful day. But to the diminishing few who were actually on Oahu the day of the attack, this monument represents more than just a story read from a page. In these short reflections, a few of the greatest generation share their feelings about visiting this hallowed monument.

The sights and sounds of December 7th, 1941 left a lasting imprint on the military and civilian survivors who witnessed the attack that day. Almost every single one remembers exactly where they were, and what they were doing, when they first realized the island of Oahu was under Japanese attack. This short collection of visceral, tangible memories comes from a group of survivors who remember these events from over 70 years ago as if they happened yesterday. Together, these perspectives combine to form a very broad, diverse picture of what it was like to witness this defining moment in history, as these men and women did that fateful day.
Winner 2010 CINE Golden Eagle Award - Professional New Media

Midori Takenouchi was just a young girl when her father was sent to fight in Manchuria by the Japanese Army in 1939. The only contact she and her family had with him was through carefully screened letters that arrived from the Manchurian front. Always optimistic and patriotic, these letters painted one picture of the war abroad. Eventually however, her father found a risky way to send his real letters home without being censored. These letters presented a far different picture of the Manchurian invasion, the Japanese Army, and even Mr. Takenouchi himself. Midori remembers her father through these letters, which she has kept close to her heart for over 70 years.
Official Selection 2011 St. Louis International Film Festival
Winner 2010 CINE Golden Eagle - Professional New Media